Til Ke Laddoo/Ellu Urundai

Having lived in Chennai for most of my life, I never knew what winter was like. Then one fine day, my father got transferred to a place called Ghaziabad near Delhi. I and my brother were very excited to be going to some city in the Northern part of India. We lived there for around 3 years and it was during this time that I actually came to know how it feels in winters.

I used to always envy my cousins living in Delhi for their winter uniforms: Smart woollen skirts or tunics with belt and tie, Sweaters and the best part blazers. So finally, I got to wear the the blazer. We used to leave home by about 6: 45 am and at that time, it would be quite dark outside, freezing and so much of mist and fog. On certain mornings we just did not feel like getting out of the warmth of our cosy razai. But still I love it rather than the sweltering heat. By around 5 pm it would start getting dark, the days were too short and nights very long. I long for those wintry nights. 

Come winter, and you could see loads and loads of the freshes vegetables like the Red Carrots, Raddishes, Turnips, Cauliflowers, Green Peas, Methi Leaves, Spinach etc. It was a norm in most houses to cook with these seasonal veggies. Dishes like Mooli Ka Paratha, Gobhi Ka Paratha, Gajar Ka Halwar, Makki ki Roti/ Sarson Ka Saag (recipes will follow) are few of the most common recipes that were dished out. My mom learnt a lot of recipes there, which we still continue to make.

Basically, winters are times when one loves to relax, laze around, enjoy a hearty meal and have a good night’s sleep. So this is exactly what I and my brother did when we lived Ghaziabad. 

Til ka Laddoo is a popular sweet in North India, generally made during winters especially for Sankranthi. Til and jaggery are said to keep the body warm from within. During winters, the markets in North India are flooded with different varieties of sweets made out of til like Gajak, revadi, etc. These healthy laddoos can be enjoyed as a dessert or as a healthy snack. So here is a simple recipe to keep you warm this winter:

What you’ll need

1.       White Til/Sesame seeds/Ellu – 1 cup

2.       Powdered Jaggery  - ½ cup

3.       Ghee – to grease

Method

1.       Dry roast the sesame seeds till light brown in color.

2.       Heat a kadai. Add the powdered jaggery and just enough water for the jaggery to dissolve, about ¼ to ½ cup.

3.       Let the jaggery dissolve completely. Strain for impurities and pour it back into the kadai.

4.       Let the jaggery boil on medium flame till soft ball consistency (Thakkali paagu) is reached.

5.       To test the syrup consistency, add a drop of the syrup into a bowl of water. Now gather that drop in the water with your fingers and try to roll into a ball. If you can make the ball then the right consistency has been achieved else let it boil for some more time. Keep checking every 2 to 3 minutes.

6.       Now add the roasted sesame seeds and mix well, until all the sesame seeds are coated with the jaggery syrup.

7.       Remove the above mixture into another plate.

8.       Now, grease your hands with a little ghee and start shaping them into balls.

That’s it, yummy and healthy laddoos are ready.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#10

Also linking it to the Winter Carnival at Tickling Palates.